I'm No Cheerleader
by UndeservingHero
Summary: Fem!Edd is getting unwanted advances from the football team so Kevin steps in. (Trigger Warnings in Author's note.) M for later chapters.
1. Wrapped Up in Superman's Cape

I'm No Cheerleader

_[D: This is a little one-shot that I did to get out of my rut with Affaire de Coeur. It's is from a prompt from Anon: _Fem!Edd is getting unwanted advances from the football team so Kevin steps in.

_Anon, dear, I'm sorry. I may have taken this to a much darker place than you intended when you asked this._

_Warnings: Attempted rape. Please don't read this if this sort of content upsets you. I don't want to hurt anyone. I love all of you too much._

_Disclaimer: I don't own these babies._

_I'm No Cheerleader_

Ed's arm draped around Double-D's shoulders as they walked down the hall. School had just ended and the trio were on their way home. She reached into her bag to find her planner only to stop and dig through her bag in a mild panic. She went through a mental list of everywhere she had used it.

"What's wrong, Double-D?" Ed asked, concern on his face, almost a foot above her own.

"I see to have lost my day planner…" she mumbled, still digging through her bag. "I must have left it…"

She turned to go back but Eddy's voice stopped her. "Where are you going? We got like seven movies to watch. You can get it tomorrow!"

She looked over her shoulder and gave him a withering stare. "No, I cannot, Eddy. It will more than likely not be there tomorrow should I wait to retrieve it. You may go ahead without me. It won't take long." She turned and walked back to her drafting class, across from the weight room.

The door was unlocked so she went to her table and found her query on the floor where it must have fallen from her bag. She flipped to the proper page and wrote down the assignment due the following Monday.

"Well, well, well. The dork does have curves," a strange male voice said behind her.

Confused, Edd turned. Two football players were standing in the doorway. She raised a brow. "Can I help you?" she asked, putting on a brave face. They weighed more than her by a hundred pounds apiece and always made her nervous. She clutched her notebook in her hand and separated her feet, discreetly taking a defensive stance. Her mother had insisted on some form of defence training. She had complained at the time. But as they strolled into the room, door clicking closed behind them, she promised to apologise to her mother.

The taller of the two leered at her. "You sure can, dork." The other grinned and her spine crawled with unease. "You can get down on your knees." He had come closer to her.

She took a step back. "E-excuse me?"

His smirk was positively full of malice. "I said you can get on your knees, bitch."

That pissed her off. First rule of defence: strike first and strike hard. She reared back her leg and kicked him in the crotch as hard as she could.

He howled and crumpled in pain. She ran through the tables to try and reach the door, but the other male was fast and caught her wrist, causing her to jerk to a halt. Her wrist seared with pain but she pushed past it and tried to kick the second male. He spun her and pinned her arms behind her. Rough hands bruised the soft flesh of her wrists.

"I got her," the one holding her said.

The other grunted and got up off the floor. "Bitch's got some fight. I like that." His grin dripped with poison as he moved toward them.

Edd resorted to Plan B; she drew in as much air as she could and screamed with everything she had. A sharp blow knocked her head back on her neck. She was dazed for a moment, but she looked back to the man in front of her. She tasted blood. She gathered all of it with her tongue and spat in into her abuser's face. It caught him on the cheek.

He wiped it away and glared. "You'll pay for that you little bitch." He grabbed the tie she wore over her button-up and tore it from her throat. Meaty, rough hands grabbed the halves of her shirt apart. She started to scream again, but the man behind her clapped a hand over her mouth. She struggled hard, breasts jiggling slightly in their lace enclosure. Her hat fell to the floor as she thrashed. The only thing she could think was, "I'm going to be raped. They intend to go through with this."

Angry hands groped her over her bra, tweaking her nipples too hard. Tears stung her eyes.

"What the fuck is going on here?" a voice boomed behind her abuser. Her eyes widened. _She knew that voice!_

The taller of the two turned a cocky smile on his smug face. "Oh, hey, Cap. Just having some fun with the dork here."

She couldn't see her potential saviour so she thrashed so hard she almost pulled her shoulders out of socket. She made muffled screaming noises in protest to tell him it wasn't consensual.

The Captain of the football team had always been fast and brutal in his actions, moving like a predator. He took one long stride and struck the other man. He collapsed instantly, unconscious from the weight of the blow. The guy behind Edd let her go and tried to flee. She fell to the ground and whimpered as her arms regained blood-flow.

The second man didn't make it very far. The Captain grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Straddling him, he punched him repeatedly until the other quit fighting back.

He stood and turned to Edd. The red-head towered over her where she sat on her knees clutching her shirt together. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders; blood dripped from her mouth and a purple bruise was forming on her cheek.

Kevin dropped to his knees and pulled off his letterman jacket. He gently wrapped it around Edd. She flinched as it settled on her tender shoulders but pulled it about her. He buttoned it to hide her from view and met her eyes, so wide in fear and adrenaline. He could see the white all the way around her irises. He pulled the bottom of his shirt out of his pants and dabbed at her mouth. He spoke softly when he said, "Double-D, are you alright? Did they… touch you?" He choked back rage to take care of her.

She seemed to come out of her trance and closed her eyes at the sound of his voice. "What?" she croaked from a throat raw from screaming.

His face flushed at asking again. Relief flooded into him when she shook her head. Her eyes were still closed. Maybe she was shutting the memory out. "Double-D?" She opened her eyes. "Will you let me hold you?" The Captain needed to knew it was a lot to ask after what she had just been through but he needed to know she was really okay.

She shrugged, still in her daze and winced at the sudden pain. He sat against the wall and spread his legs, pulling her in between them and loosely held her. "I'm going to call the police," he said quietly and pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jacket.

A small hand stopped him. He looked at her face. She shook her head. "No, don't. I don't want anyone to know what… what happened."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm going to call the police. You were just assaulted." Rage seeped into him as she just continued to shake her head. He turned her to face him. "Edd, listen to me. No one's going to think less of you. From what I can tell, you fought like a hellcat. There is no shame on you." He motioned to the unconscious figures. "You, above all else, deserve justice."

Her big eyes looked at him. Tears gathered in them. "I want my hat," she said in a very small voice.

He looked around for it and saw it six feet away. He didn't want to move her to get it so he took his own off and set it on top of her gorgeous mane of raven hair. "Here, you hold onto mine for me," he said gently. "Edd, I'm going to call them. I want to know you're safe, okay?" He took a breath. "Let me do it for me if not for you."

Her brilliant mind showed him her confusion through cerulean eyes. "Why do you want me safe?

He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. This was not the time for this conversation. But he wasn't going to lie to her. He raised his hand to cup her cheek gently. She didn't flinch. He rubbed his thumb over her bruise lightly and said, "Because I care about you. A lot."

She seemed to not comprehend. It was unsettling to see his genius childhood nemesis look confused. Slowly, so she could back away if she wanted to, he pressed his lips to her forehead. He stayed that way and said, "I care a very great deal about your well-being, Edd. Let me call them so I can rest easy."

"Okay," she said softly.

_[Companion]_

They sat together as the cops came and questioned them. Kevin held Double-D through the entire ordeal. The cop wanted her to go to the hospital, but she said they hadn't really hurt her.

Not _that _way.

Kevin gathered her things and drove her home. He waited for her to change clothes in her living room, apprehensive at each passing moment. He had nowhere to put his anxious rage and he started walking around the room, pacing really.

She came back down on soft, silent feet in sweats and a hoodie that swallowed her. She wouldn't look at him. She held out his neatly folded jacket and continued to stare at the floor. Thank you. You saved me from a horrific fate today. I am indebted to you."

He looked at the jacket. The capital P that usually rested over his heart was placed neatly on top of the bundle. "You can keep that, Double-D."

She peeked up through her bangs. "Why would I keep your football jacket, Kevin? You earned it. I have done nothing to earn a Letter."

He stepped forward and pressed it against her chest. "Edd… This is _not_ how or when I wanted to do this." He took a quick breath. "Edd, I don't want you to wear it because you earned it. I want you to wear it so people know I belong to you." Heat rushed to his face and ears, but he didn't look away.

She looked befuddled. "…Belong to me? Kevin, you can't belong to another person." Her blue eyes were more confused than he had _ever_ seen them.

"I can if they've already got my heart," he said quietly.

She stared at him blankly for so long, he thought about taking her to the hospital anyway to get her head checked. Then, her eyes flared and pink rushed to stain her cheeks. "Oh," she breathed.

He smiled at her gently. "Yeah… Oh…" He rubbed his thumbs over the hands he was still pressing against her chest holding his jacket. "My heart and my jacket are yours if you want them. I know the timing isn't all that great—" He touched the black mark on her face. "But when I see you hurt, all I can think about is protecting you. I want you to wear something that claims that you have someone to look after you." He bit his lip. This was harder than he thought. "Edd, I – I want to know I belong to you."

She looked to the ground again. "You don't have to do this, Kevin."

His brows came together. "Do what?"

She sounded exhausted and miserable. "You don't have to pretend to be my boyfriend so people will leave me alone. I will be alright. I am perfectly capable of being on my own. I've been doing it since we were children." She looked up and gave him the most heartbreakingly fake smile he had ever seen.

"I don't want you to be alone. I want you to be with me," he said. "Edd, I'm not doing this because I feel sorry for you. You can call Nazz and ask her; I was going to ask you to Spring Formal."

She shook her head. "Kevin, you deserve someone who's beautiful. Someone who matches you. You're the football Captain—"

"I'm looking at her, Edd. Right now. Will you stop being so stubborn and coming up with excuses?" He tipped her chin up to get her to look at him. "Edd, you are beautiful. You are all kinds of beautiful. And you do match me. You are who I think about all the time. You are everything I'm not. You're smart and funny and lovable." He bit the inside of his cheek and wished he hadn't said that last one just yet. "I'm conceited and cranky and people are afraid of me." She looked up. Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears. His heart dropped. "Don't cry, Edd! I didn't mean to make you cry." He was panicking when she laughed softly. He stopped stammering apologies at her. "What's funny?" he asked.

Her gap-toothed smile made a small appearance and made his heart jump. "You are, Kevin. _You_ are funny. No one has ever told me those things. Never. But you have never been a liar. I believe you _think_ those things to be true." She pushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm none of those things. I'm afraid all the time. I'm cynical. I have a smart-mouth. I am of average appearance –"

The red-head bent and pressed his mouth to her gently, careful of her busted lip. "I know all of that. I grew up with you. I literally live across the street. I _like_those things, Edd. They're what make you, you."

The genius girl was at a loss for words, her face red.

He took the jacket from her and shook it out. He slid first one arm, then the other into the sleeves. He smiled. "I want you to wear this because, when I know you're wearing it, there's always part of me with you."

She touched the number on the shoulder. The twelve he had worn for years that had always brought him luck. Her eyes welled with tears and she stepped into his waiting arms, finally giving in to the fear and anger. She clung to him as she sobbed out her emotions. She lost her strength and her knees gave way. He caught her and carried her to the couch, bundling her into his lap where he tucked her under his chin.

She quieted eventually, running out of tears. Her voice was soft if a bit rough, "I feel like I'm wrapped in Superman's cape."

He smiled and felt his chest swell. "You might as well be, because no one's going to get through me to get to you. I promise."

_[D: I really like how this turned out. Let me know what you think. Love you all. And thank you, dear Anon, yet again for your amazing prompt.]_


	2. Valedictorian

[Hero: Okay, I promised myself I wouldn't get mixed up with this story until Affaire was over, but that didn't work out, now did it? So, here is chapter two~ I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: We know I don't own it.]

Kevin sat with Edd for a long time on her couch, holding her. He felt relaxed for the first time in months. Even his coach had noticed that he'd been on edge. He had been constantly caught up with thoughts of her since the summer.

He had been hanging out with Nazz at her house in her yard, fixing her car and the blonde had drawn his attention to the troublesome trio. He had seen her running around with the other Eds in a bikini top and shorts, drenched from some stupid antic of Eddy's. He had dropped his wrench on his face.

He brought his attention back to the girl bundled up in his jacket in his lap. She was snoring quietly into his chest. He couldn't help but smile. She was all of the things that he had professed to her. But he liked her this way. She was soft and warm and small and a little dorky even when she was asleep.

He sighed. He should probably put her to bed. She needed the rest. She was going to be so sore the next day from the physical abuse her body had been through.

Carefully, he stood with her in his arms. Unconsciously, she shifted in her sleep to lean against him, one fist against her face, the other wrapped around her middle. He smiled and kissed her hair. He was already pretty sure he was in love with her. He would let her grow into it though. He knew he had sprung the relationship on her and she might feel differently about it in the morning, but he would enjoy it for now.

Maneuvering through her house was incredibly easy. Even though she was a teenager that lived practically alone, her house was meticulously clean and orderly. Small sticky notes were plastered to random surfaces. He saw a few in the bathroom on the mirror. He glanced in and saw that they were notes to buy more toothpaste and a new hairbrush. He chuckled to himself quietly and kept walking until he found what had to be her room. It was the only other door open.

Without moving her around too much, he managed to get the lamp on and took in her room. An old mobile of the solar system floated over her bed, science posters and the occasional doodle were stuck to the wall. They all had something to do with physics and were way over his head, but he appreciated that they were all probably completely perfectly calculated.

He let her legs go and held her like a child, a forearm under her butt holding her against his chest so he could turn down her bed and slide her under the covers. He was about to turn to go after pulling the covers up to her chin when her eyes opened slightly and she looked up at him like a lost child. "Kevin?" Her voice was still small from screaming and it made a lump appear in his throat.

He leaned down next to her. "Yes, Edd?"

She looked so afraid as she clutched at the edge of the blanket. "Would you mind terribly to stay here tonight?"

He offered her a smile he didn't really feel and brushed her hair away from her face. No one had ever seen her afraid. Sure, when they were kids, he'd seen her scared of getting caught. This was different. This was real fear. If he ever saw those motherfuckers again, he was going to murder both of them.

"Sure, Edd. I'll stay. Do you have some extra blankets so I can sleep on the floor?" He would sleep on rocks if it made her feel better.

She shook her head. She sounded exhausted "You can sleep on the bed with me. I don't mind."

Kevin's ears flushed pink. The realization that she had no idea what usually followed those words made him look at her even closer. Even after everything that day, she was still Edd.

He smiled at her. "Okay."

She sat up and took his jacket off, folding it neatly. "Will you put this on my desk?"

He nodded and took it from her, laying it on the empty space in the middle. He returned and took his hat off and hung it on the bedpost. She was holding the blanket up so he could lie beside her. He wasn't used to a double bed because his was a queen, but it left less room for error and more room for cuddling. Patiently, she straightened the blanket back out and pulled it up over them both. He pillowed his head on his arm and looked at her. She rolled on her side toward him and snuggled down and looked back.

He couldn't keep the question off his lips. "Edd, are you okay?" Despite himself, he couldn't help from worrying about her.

Her brows furrowed from the peaceful expression she had possessed before. "You are referring to today's events, right?" He nodded and she sighed. "I will not lie to you, Kevin. I don't want to be alone. That is why I asked you to stay. My parents are away and I have no one else besides Eddy and Ed and they never stay here. I won't allow it after what happened when we were children and Ed tried to eat Jim." She motioned to a cactus that sat on the floor with a noticeable crescent shape missing from the top. It was bigger than it had been when they were kids. She smiled at the memory. She turned her attention back to him and it faded away. "I do not know why – we have been rivals our whole lives – but I trust you here with me. Your display in the favour of my well-being today proved that you have earned it."

Kevin reached out slowly and pushed her hair from her face to curve it behind her ear. "I'm glad I earned it. But that didn't really answer my question. Are you okay? Because, I'm already plotting homicide over here, so if you're not, I can add torture and maiming to my list of things to do."

That surprised a laugh out of her. "Oh dear." She covered her mouth. "That shouldn't be funny."

He smiled. "I'm just glad I got you to laugh again, Edd. You looked a little too serious there for a minute." She looked so battered and worn out, but the smile softened it.

She hid her face in her pillow and laughed again. "That really should not be that funny. Oh dear." She was still giggling slightly when she turned her face to his again.

He was smiling, relaxed, one hand between them on the bed. He didn't mind being her security blanket for the night. She was incredibly easy to talk to when she wasn't trying to outwit him. It didn't hurt that she was pretty too. He reached out and took her hand in his, wrapping hers over the top of his and squeezed her fingers. "You need to get some rest, Edd. I'm not going anywhere."

Edd's blue eyes were rapt to his. "You are correct." A hint of her earlier laughter still clung to her lips. Her cheeks pinked slightly. "Would it be awkward if I requested to cuddle? Eddy, Ed, and I usually sleep tangled up together. It would feel odd if I wasn't closer to you while I slept."

Kevin quietly pushed his envy of the other Eds to the back of his mind as he scooted closer to her. "You don't have to ask." He loosely laid an arm over her waist and let her move however it was she wanted to lay. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but she was rail thin. She usually wore baggy shirts and loose men's jeans to hide her body. During the summer, he had noticed that she was small for her height, but having her actually moving to get closer to him, he realized that she was all bone and muscle. And he didn't figure Edd for a girl to starve herself to be pretty. She was just naturally built like a beanpole. The only exception to her thinness was the soft swell of her chest, pressed close to his upper stomach. She wriggled around for a minute and tucked her feet between his shins and curved her neck so she fit right under his chin. Her arm snuck under his to wrap around his chest and he smiled, pulling her tight against him.

He was uncertain of how their relationship stood at present, but this was nice. Cuddling was always nice. Especially with Edd, because she was one of the wriggly kind of cuddlers. She didn't hold still for very long before she had to move again to get comfortable. He chuckled at her constant movement. At the sound, she froze and peaked up at him. "I'm sorry. It's just…" She paused to look for words. "You're taller than them and it's weird fitting against someone so hard." She poked him in the chest.

That made him laugh. "I'm sorry I'm so 'hard'. I'll tell Coach I need to put on some weight so I can be a better cuddle buddy."

She snorted. "You know what I mean. You don't have any soft spots to lay on."

He chuckled. "Yeah. I know. I'm sorry." He thought for a second. "Hang on." He turned onto his back and pulled her closer so she could pillow her head on his shoulder. "How's that?"

She sighed and wrapped one of her legs around his, placing her hand around his waist. "Better." It was a simple word, but it had a deep kind of relief in it. She had wanted to feel protected from the beginning. Kevin was big and warm and that's all she could really ask for. He wasn't pushing for more and hadn't asked her again about what he had suggested earlier. Which was a relief.

She listened to the beat of his heart as she relaxed and unwound from the day's stresses. The slow, steady rhythm lulled her and let her think of his question logically, without putting too much emotion into the answer.

Did she like Kevin? Yes. She always had. They had been rivals because of childhood spats because Eddy always came up with something new and it usually pissed Kevin off to no end. He was intelligent and well-liked, if a bit hot-tempered. He had taken up for her against men who had truly intended to hurt her.

Now that she thought about it, he had never once hurt her. He had beaten the crap out of Eddy and Ed, but had never laid a finger on her. She thought on that for a long moment and processed it, adding it to the things on her mental list of things in his favour.

She really did like Kevin, and not because he was popular. She had known him long before that. He was rough around the edges, never being nice to anyone, but never being mean either. Except to Eddy, but he usually brought it on himself.

The real question was: Did she want to date him, be seen with him or his jacket as the situation called for, go out with him to the movies and kiss and cuddle and other things that couples did together.

Edd looked at her past. She had never been in a relationship before, favouring books and the company of her friends to that of a possible mate. She found the usual social convention of dating and courting to be redundant and useless. But the thought of experimenting with Kevin was a nice one. She didn't mind as much because he was intelligent and she had known him her whole life, virtually.

Mind made up, she moved slightly to look up towards his face. "Kevin?" she said quietly in case he was asleep.

"Hmm?" He had been lying awake, staring up at the mobile above her bed, trying to remember the names of all of Saturn's moons.

"I would like to keep your jacket," she said just as quietly.

He dropped the deliberation of Saturn mid-thought and looked down at her. "Really?" She nodded and he squeezed her close. "I'm really happy about that."

She poked him in the side. "But I want to say something, before we go any further." He nodded, waiting. "This doesn't mean I'm going to let you win the Valedictorian spot."

He laughed hard, holding her close. Her gap made an appearance as she giggled with him. "Duly noted, Edd. I wouldn't expect anything less."


	3. The Little Things

[Hero: Hope you guys like this. It's just fluff.]

Edd woke the next morning, warm and immobile. Arms held her tight against a body that ran at too high a temperature but only kept her usually too cold body warm. She opened her eyes slowly and discovered that she was pressed up against Kevin Barr, whom was still asleep.

And he was shirtless.

Her eyes widened slightly in panic until the memories of the day before came to her. She relaxed slightly. She remembered that Kevin was her boyfriend now. A blush touched her cheeks. She smiled to herself slightly. He was definitely notwhat she would have expected. He had been kind and supportive through her ordeal the day before and had stayed at her request. He had even cuddled with her, even though he hadn't known at the time what she would say to a relationship.

That, however, did not explain why he was shirtless.

She managed to wriggle an arm loose, her shoulder burning, and shook him lightly. "Kevin, wake up."

He made a noise in the back of his throat and pulled her closer, pressing his face to her neck. She squeaked slightly. His voice was rough with sleep. "Five more minutes."

She laughed quietly. He had everything but one arm pinned. One of his heavy legs was thrown over hers. Helpless against the depth of his cuddling, she let her arm rest on his shoulder, her hand naturally going to his hair. Gently, she ran her fingers through hair kept short for sports. He squeezed her tighter and hummed.

She sighed, exasperated and amused. She had to admit, even though she was sore and still tired, waking up with someone besides Ed cradling her close was nice. Especially when said someone was a perfect male specimen like Kevin and he smelled nice. She was a scientist, not dead. She knew he was attractive. She always had.

Their attitudes toward each other had always been the wall between them. She was grateful things had changed. Now, she had another intelligent, emotionally bound person in her life. She had reason to be around him now.

Trying again, she shook his shoulder, saying his name again. "Wake up, Kevin. You're heavy." She liked the weight of his arm around her waist and the heft of his leg over hers, but she thought that statement might wake him.

She was rewarded when he stirred and pulled away slightly, rubbing one eye with his hand. He looked at her with the other. "Morning…" His voice was scratchy from sleep.

Edd chuckled. "Good morning, Kevin."

He put his hand back down and concern filled his eyes. "Did you sleep okay? How are you feeling?"

His almost immediate concern over her well-being made her feel better. "I slept very well. I am sore and my face sort of hurts. Otherwise, I feel fine."

Gingerly, he tipped her head to the side to look at her cheekbone. A black splotch marred her skin. His jaw tightened, but he swallowed back his rage. "Half of your face is black. I would be concerned if it didn't hurt."

She sighed. "I thought as much. He punched me pretty hard," she said, matter-of-factly. "I'm just glad it didn't break the bone."

The deep well of rage opened back up in his chest. He made up his mind. If he ever saw those motherfuckers again, murder wasn't going to be a joke.

She poked him in the chest, distracting him from his homicidal thoughts. "Why are you shirtless?" she asked.

That brought a slight smile to his face. "I got hot. I'm a hot sleeper. I usually end up without a shirt by morning."

She considered that for a moment. "Understandable. I have to keep the house warmer than most people. I get cold easily."

He chuckled. "I'll keep you warm any time you want, Edd." He squeezed her gently to punctuate his statement. His hand slid up her back to knead her neck.

She sighed in pleasure and relaxed, her lids falling shut. "That feels lovely."

He liked that sound coming from her mouth. "I know." He leaned and kissed her forehead. "Rest. You've earned it."

"But we have school," she protested, her eyelids opened back up over her cyan eyes.

"They'll understand, Edd. It happened on school grounds. They're not going to say anything to you. Sleep. I'll stay here with you." He kept up the soft pressure on her neck, trying to knead away her problems.

She yawned widely before giving in. She slid her arms around him and snuggled closer to him, pressing her face against his chest. "Okay." She sounded younger somehow when she was sleepy. With his other hand, he pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and resigned himself to getting too hot. Her hands were a little on the cool side as she tucked them against his back. She hummed quietly when he kissed the top of her hair as he continued massaging her neck.

She was quickly asleep again. He was glad it hadn't taken much to convince her to rest. He honestly could have stayed there with her, wrapped up in her bed with her held close, forever because he'd been waiting for this for a while.

Now that he was completely awake and she was asleep, he pulled away gently and studied her face as she was at rest. Her eyelashes lay like soot on her high cheekbones, small pieces of her inky hair curved and hugged her jaw and neck. He brushed the hair away from her face and bit the inside of his cheek. He wished she could see what he was seeing right that moment. She had said she was unremarkable in the way she looked, but he would have to disagree.

He sighed and kissed her forehead before slowly unwinding his limbs from hers, tucking her back in tightly. Leaving his shirt on the floor where he'd ditched it the night before, he made his way downstairs to see if he could find something to cook for her to wake up to.

[Panthera Leo]

An hour later, Edd woke up to the sound of someone moving around downstairs and the smell of something baking. She panicked before remembering that Kevin had talked her into staying home from school. She sighed and relaxed back down into her covers briefly, thinking that he was definitely a keeper. She stretched carefully and groaned when her shoulders pulled. Considering a hot shower a good idea, she padded across the room to her bathroom and started the hot water.

[Pythonidae]

Kevin looked up when he heard water start to run. He smiled. She must have been sore and decided to take advantage of the heat from the water.

With care, he pulled the muffins out of the oven and sat them on the counter to cool as he made the tea he found in the cabinet above the coffee pot. He didn't know if she liked sugar in hers so he just left the water on the stove to keep warm until she came down. Hearing the water turn off upstairs, he pulled some muffins out of the pan and put them on a plate to set on the table.

He turned when he heard soft footsteps behind him. She stood in an oversized sweatshirt and shorts with her wet hair up in a towel. Having her hair swept away from her face made the mark stand out all the more. His jaw tightened but he smiled at her. "Morning."

She smiled brightly at him and came closer. "Good morning, Kevin, for the second time. I thought you would have left by now."

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. "Nah. I wanted to make sure you were alright. I made breakfast." He gestured to the table where the muffins sat with empty tea cups, ready to be used.

She glanced over and her eyes lit up. "Oh my." She looked back over at him. "Thank you. It's been a long time since someone made me breakfast." Her cheeks were rosy as she clasped her hands in front of her.

His brows came down over his eyes. "You really do live by yourself don't you?"

Edd's eyes were confused briefly as she looked up at him, but then it dawned on her. She sighed and nodded. "Yes, I suppose that's true. My mother is rarely home. She travels a lot, giving seminars on brain neurosurgery." She hugged herself. "I've been mostly alone since my father left when I was ten."

He knew a lot about being alone. His parents had separated when he was eleven and then divorced two years later. Standing away from the counter, he took the three steps separating them and pulled her against him, hugging her.

She stiffened, surprised by the affection. She was unaccustomed to it from anyone but Ed. Kevin was still shirtless, but she found she didn't mind as she slowly relaxed and wrapped her arms around his waist. The comfort was nice in the wake of talking about her parents. She felt his ribs expand with his breathing under her arms. He squeezed her gently before pulling away. "Let's eat before they get room temperature."

She nodded and relinquished her hold on him, going to sit at the table. He brought the water and poured their mugs full and dropped teabags into them both. "Do you like sugar in yours?" he asked. She nodded and he brought it over to her and let her put in as much as she wanted, taking it back over to the counter when she was done. Being taken care of was new for her. Finally, he sat down next to her and she broke into one of the muffins that he had baked for her, steam rising from it. Little bursts of blue were smattered throughout them. She looked up at him. "Blueberries?"

He nodded. "I found them in your fridge. Thought I would put them to use." He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

But an eighteen year old boy making muffins from scratch for his girlfriend of less than twenty-four hours was far from normal. And she realized that. Her face flushed and she started picking the bread apart, letting it cool. "Thank you for all of this, Kevin. It's really not necessary though."

His brows came down over his hazel eyes as he looked up at her. "No one said it was, but I still wanted to do it." He put some of his own breakfast in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. "I didn't do this to get in your good graces, Edd. I really do want to make sure you're okay. And it's completely selfish. I'm doing this for my peace of mind."

She was slightly taken aback by the seriousness of his tone and the severity of his eyes. She backpedaled verbally. "Kevin, that's not what I meant. I just mean that making me breakfast and things is appreciated, but you really didn't need to."

Kevin rolled his eyes and sipped his tea. "I know what you meant, Edd. I wanted to. Just leave it at that and enjoy it. I don't do this for just anyone, alright?"

She flushed at being chastised and looked down. "I'm sorry." She took the opportunity to take a bite of her muffin and her eyes widened. She covered her mouth and spoke. "Kevin these are wonderful."

He chuckled and looked proud of himself. "Yeah. I've been cooking for myself since I was fifteen and my mom went onto third shift. I've gotten pretty good at simple things. Glad you like them."

She nodded, putting more into her mouth, unashamed that she was enjoying them. She was also unabashed when she reached for another one. He was pleased with her actions. He'd been right when he guessed that she wasn't one of those girls that starved themselves to keep thin. He ate another himself before getting up to get more tea. Their companionable silence was nice. Most girls felt the need to fill it up with useless chatter.

He glanced over as he poured more water into his cup and stopped it mid-stream. Morning sun was coming through the window and glanced off the tops of her shoulders, sheathed in her sweater. She had tucked one of her feet up under her bum and dark damp curls were beginning to fall out of the towel she still had wrapped around her hair. Her thin fingered hands were working on her second muffin still and he watched her in her full spectrum as she ate.

He flushed and turned away, cursing at himself in the back of his mind. She was entirely too damn pretty, even with no make-up and a towel around her head and a sweatshirt that would have fit around him twice. He took a deep breath before going to sit down next to her again.

"So… About yesterday…" He studied her face as she looked up at him to see what he would say. She looked wary. "Edd, I just… I want you to know that no matter what happens with those…" He bit his tongue and remembered her aversion to cursing. "Jerks. I will support you. You're not going into this alone."

Her dark brows arched over her eyes. She smiled slightly. "Thank you, Kevin." She was about to object, but considered his earlier statement about not arguing against good things given out of kindness. "That makes me feel better." Which wasn't exactly a lie. She just wasn't accustomed to people caring about her like he so apparently did.

Kev relaxed and finished his tea in silence, just watching her. This was definitely never going to get boring for him.

[Felis Catus]

Kevin had gone home to shower and change before coming back to take Edd out to lunch. He thought she needed a day out. He knew she hadn't missed many days of school before and never because she was playing hookie. He took her downtown and they ate together, even though she protested when he paid. He had given in when she wanted to drive. She had tolerated the bike the day before because of her shock, but fully aware Edd had said no.

When they left the restaurant he had taken her hand and turned down the street instead of going to her car. She was surprised by the open affection and the unexpected turn. But she was beginning to realize that he was going to constantly surprise her.

He took her to the little shops and while she was wandering around, he found a basket near the front full of hair pins with little crystal things attached. He found two that matched and smiled at the guy behind the counter before going to tap her on the shoulder. She turned and smiled up at him. "Kevin? Did you need something?"

"I need you to hold still for a minute," he said as he reached up and tugged her hat off gently.

She reached up but dropped her hands when he tucked it into his back pocket. "What are you doing?"

He chuckled and smoothed her hair back from her face. "Just wait a minute." He separated the pin with his teeth and moved her bangs over to the side before sliding the pin in above her ear. He put the other in right beside it. "Now I can see your face."

She flushed and reached up to touch them before going over to a mirror and leaning in. The small hummingbirds were the same colour as her eyes. She was about to pull them out when she saw the look on his face when he thought she wasn't looking. That look sapped her of her will to turn the gift down. She straightened and went over to him, a light flush still lingering on her cheeks. "Thank you, Kevin."

His smile widened. "Welcome, Edd. You shouldn't hide in your hair. You're too pretty for that."

Her cheekbones went scarlet and she looked down. She didn't want to argue with him. He kept telling her that, but she still didn't believe him. "Thank you." She touched her cheek when she smiled and it twinged.

She looked back up at him and saw the anger in his eyes before he could hide it away. "You alright?"

She nodded. "Yes, but I would like to go home, if that's alright with you. People keep glaring at you. I think they think you've done this to me."

His brows came down and he reached for her hand. "I noticed that too. I don't really care what they think of me, but if you want to go home, we'll go home." He cupped her face and rubbed his thumb gently over the slightly swollen mark.

She smiled up at him. "Then let's go. I have some things I need to do today."

He shook his head. "Nope. You're going to rest. I know your shoulders are still hurting. You haven't moved your arms much. You're not going to do anything. I'll do whatever needs to be done."

She rolled her eyes. "Kevin, I don't need you to clean my house for me. I can do it."

He gave her a look before lacing their fingers together and leading her to the counter to pay for her pins. The guy gave him a pointed look after seeing Edd's face. Kevin's jaw tightened but he just smiled at him before taking his money back and leaving the shop with Edd.

[Danaus plexippus]

Kevin flopped down onto the couch where Edd was sitting, reading a book. She looked over at him. "I told you that you didn't have to do that."

He shrugged tiredly when she said that. "And I told you I wanted to." He'd spent two hours doing small chores for her. He pulled her across the couch and tucked her under his arm to her protests.

"Kevin, please, I'm reading," she said, exasperated.

He nuzzled her hair. "I see that. Doesn't mean I can't cuddle you."

She sighed but relaxed against him. She really didn't have an argument. She just usually didn't have anyone around while she was reading. "You really don't have to be so nice to me."

He rolled his eyes. "Edd, shut up. I want to do the things I have done. Else, I wouldn't do them."

She huffed at him. "Fine." She settled down and returned to reading.

He put his head on her shoulder and started reading what she was just out of curiosity. What appeared to be a biography of Thomas Edison stared back at him.

The longer they sat there, the lower the book sank and she finally yawned. "It seems that I am in need of a nap, but I wish to keep reading."

Kevin chuckled and took the book from her, putting his thumb in it so she wouldn't lose her place. "Lie down. I'll read it to you."

She began to protest but couldn't think of a reason why. She really needed to stop fighting him on everything. She blushed and lied down, putting her cheek on his thigh. His hand rested on her shoulder as he started to read. His voice was a deep baritone as he read over words that would have made others cry with their monotony but he somehow didn't stop after a few minutes. He just kept reading.

Edd listened to him and couldn't help but get distracted by the rise and fall of his voice. She had never noticed before how very nice it was. Smooth, like he was born for speaking. Eventually, it lulled her until she fell asleep.

Some time later, he looked down and smiled when he saw her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. He brushed her hair off of her face before pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and throwing it over her. His head kicked back and he closed his eyes, settling in for a nap himself. He wouldn't wake her for the world.


End file.
